Escafil Team: Tool of the Andalites (Escafil Team Book One)
by superpony55
Summary: While the Animorphs were fighting the Yeerks in their town, another team of kids were busy in another town. This is what happens when twins, their little brother, a friend, a Yeerk from the Peace movement, an Andalite, and a Helmacron try to save the world from parasitic slugs- all while trying to save their friendship along the way.


ESCAFIL TEAM: TOOL OF THE ANDALITES (BOOK ONE)

By superpony55

My name is Cedric. I can't tell you my last name or where I live. None of us can. Because if we do, the Yeerks will find us. If they find us, then Earth is doomed. Is that a good enough reason for you?

I bet you're confused, but I'll explain everything, promise. Just listen. No matter how strange or impossible this seems, you must believe it. The Yeerks are here.

It all started with a bet.

"Oh c'mon Cedric! I'm broke! I have to do _something_ for money, and there is no way I'll follow Miss Stoobalin's advice and get a job!" My best friend shuddered.

Conor was shorter than me, and he had dark brown hair and big, even darker brown, puppy-dog eyes. His story was a sad one. His parents died in a car crash about seven years ago, and Miss Stoobalin was only his latest foster parent. Conor and I had known each other for about nine years, and we'd been best friends ever since. Even that one time his foster parents lived about an hour away, we still kept in touch. Now that he was back, he lived with our gym teacher Miss Stoobalin, who kept telling him he needed to get a job. Conor, who was quite the comedian, had started complaining loudly until Miss Stoobalin had shooed us out. Now we were at my house, and Conor was begging me for money.

"Well then Conor, I'll make you a deal." I smirked. I, on the other hand, had light brown hair and bright green eyes. I was tall for my age, and proud to say I was better behaved than Conor. I had about fifty bucks saved up from cleaning the basement and the attic for my parents, and I kept a B average most of the time. "We'll go to the mall and sign up for the pretzel eating contest. I'll pay to enter, and make you a bet. Whoever eats more pretzels gets ten bucks from the other one. This gives you a chance to win ten bucks, a hundred dollars prize money, and free pretzels. What do you say?"

He cocked his head like he was thinking about it. "I say-" The door opened behind them and my sister stepped out.

Hope was my twin, though she prided herself in being two minutes older, along with two inches taller. She had hair a shade lighter than Conor's, and blue eyes that always seemed to change shades. Both of us had pale skin and freckles, like our mom. Hope also kept an A average, and had about two hundred bucks saved up from different places. Lately, Hope and I seemed to be drifting apart. She liked to go to this place called "The Sharing", and she was always off doing some something-or-another. Every once in a while we'd do something together, but her heart never seemed to be into it. I had been surprised when she'd joined The Sharing- she really enjoys helping others, but she's always been a bit of a loner. She'd admitted she didn't really have many friends at The Sharing, but did it to help the community. Now she was more apart from everyone else than ever. Before she'd had me, but now…

"Come on, Danny," Hope prodded. "I'll get you an ice cream cone."

Danny was our six-year-old brother, and he was even richer than Hope. He claimed he got all his money from a "money tree". He had "planted" some money about two years ago, and a healthy apple tree had sprung up. I didn't have the heart to tell him I had dropped an apple right after he had dug the hole. Danny had black hair and blue eyes like Hope's.

Danny nodded, smiling widely. "Ice cream!" he cried in joy. "Thank you, Hope!"

She smiled and shook her head. "Can you guys watch him for a moment? I need to go grab some money."

"Can you grab some for me too?" Conor asked.

"Ice cream?"

"No, money." We all laughed, even Danny.

"Sorry, but this money only goes to good causes," Hope joked.

"I'm a good cause!" Conor whined. Hope rolled her eyes and stepped inside.

"3…2…1… That's it! The competition's over!" Conor and I each stepped back, Conor with a piece of pretzel sticking out of his mouth when he grinned. I sighed, leaning back into a chair.

"I think I ate too much," I groaned. Conor laughed.

"There's no such thing as too much when there's money on the line!" I managed to smile.

"And in third place is… Cedric, winning twenty five dollars!" My grin became wider. (And sorry, you won't be hearing our last names.)

"And in second place is… Conor, winning fifty dollars!"

Conor whooped. "I'm not broke any more!"

"And in first place is… Danny, winning one hundred dollars!" Conor and I stared at each other.

"Danny?" we asked simultaneously.

I heard footsteps. "Danny, get back here!" Hope's face was red, and she was breathing hard. "Where is he?"

I grabbed my sister by the arm. "He entered the pretzel eating contest- and won!"

"He WHAT?" she yelped. "He just had ice cream! Danny!" Hope ran after our little brother. We followed.

"There he is!" Conor called.

"Where?"

"He's collecting his prize money! Like we should be doing!" I sighed and got in line behind Danny. A man was handing him some money. I grabbed my brother by the arm.

"There you are! You are staying right here until Hope gets over here. HOPE?" She jogged over, and the man held out my money. "Thanks."

"Come on Danny, we are going _home_!" She grabbed his other arm and I let go.

"Conor and I will come with you, after I give Conor his ten bucks and he collects the other fifty." Conor was standing in front of the man, grinning wide.

"Danny, you shouldn't have come over here! Don't run away like that ever again!" Hope looked worried.

"Well, at least he had dinner," I sighed.

"Boo."

I jumped, and turned to glare at Conor, who was laughing hard. I just shook my head at him. "C'mon Con, we're going home."

When we got to our neighborhood, Conor checked his watch. "I'm late. Miss Stoobalin is going to kill me!" He turned to the street, but I grabbed him by the arm. "Come on, let's cut through the forest. It's faster."

"Uh uh, no way. There's poison ivy in there, and bears, not to mention it's dark. If I'm caught, Miss Stoobalin will ground me, and since she's a teacher you know that'll mean staying after school to do my homework, until she's prepared for the next day."

"You're probably already grounded," I reminded him.

"For what? I told her I was going to be in the contest, and I can just tell her we were a bit late getting here on time, because Danny ran away. It's the truth."

"I'm not going through the forest either," Hope said. "You know I love it in there, but Danny's just six. I don't think he should- Danny? DANNY, GET RIGHT BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!" She ran after him into the forest.

I looked at Conor. "Forest, huh?" Conor asked. I grinned.

"Yup." We ran after my siblings. We had no idea Danny had just made the biggest mistake of our lives.

A/N: I had tried to double space between sections, but it didn't work. I hope you enjoy the story anyway!

MagicMorphs Chapter 2 is going to be rewritten, and hopefully I can get that and Chapter 3 done soon, along with Chapter 2 of this story. Don't forget to review! :)


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